Troublesome words

Troublesome words

raise/rise and lie/lay

past/passed and proceed/precede

Homonyms in English are strange little words that sound similar but are spelled differently and have different meanings. These can be tricky, and not just for those learning English as a second language-even those who have spoken the language since birth can confuse them from time to time. Here are some common homonyms and examples of each word's proper usage.

PAST VS PASSED

"Past" is a noun, adjective, and adverb, and "passed" is generally used as a verb or adjective. To determine the use and meaning, examine the rest of the sentence: read it "in context".

LIE VS LAY

When used as verbs, these words are frequently confused and are among the most difficult to keep straight. A way to remember: "lie" is "doing" and "lay" is "puttingﾊﾗﾝ.

RISE VS RAISE

Similar to lie and lay, "rise" is an action that is performed, and "raise" is an action that is performed on an

object.

"When I rise in the morning, I like to read the paper"

PROCEED VS PRECEDE

"Proceed" means to advance or carry on, especially after an interruption. "Precede" refers to someΌthing that comes before.

Troublesome words

Homonyms in English are strange little words that sound similar but are spelled differently and have different meanings. These can be tricky, and not just for those learning English as a second langua...
ge, even those who have spoken the language since birth can confuse them from time to time. Here are some common homonyms and examples of each word’s proper usage.